Patient and Public Involvement Forums

1
Patient and Public Involvement Forums

• A presentation from
• Patient and Public Involvement Forum Members in
  Bolton
• Michael Phillips, Vice Chair, Bolton Hospitals
  NHS Trust PPI Forum
• Harold Hunter, Chair, Bolton, Salford and
  Trafford Mental Health NHS Trust PPI Forum

2
What are PPI Forums

• Formed by the Government in 2003 to put patients
  at the centre of everything the NHS does
• Volunteers who meet with powers from government
  to monitor healthcare services
• The work of Forums is to improve Patients
  experiences of health services.

3
PPI Forums

• 572 forums began, one for every NHS trust, NHS
  Foundation Trust and Primary Care Trust in
  England.
• An independent critical friend who works
  closely with healthcare organisations
  representing the publics and patients views.
• Members have been recruited by the Commission for
  Patient and Public Involvement in Health.
• All members are Criminal Records Bureau checked

4
Forums Remit

• Monitor and review the services provided by the
  Primary Care Trust, Hospital Trust or Mental
  Health Trust
• Monitors how the trust complies with Section 11
  of the Health and Social Care Act
• Get the views of patients, users and carers about
  the services
• Make reports and recommendations about those
  services based on the views of patients and the
  public.
• Work with other Forums on shared interests

5
The Forums Powers

• Get information from the NHS and other
  authorities within 20 days from their initial
  request
• Refer health matters of concern to
  local-authority Health Overview and Scrutiny
  Committees (OSC)
• Enter and inspect premises owned or controlled by
  the PCT and Trusts such as, hospitals, GPs and
  Dentists

6
How Forums Work

• Forum members are volunteers and share their
  interest in health issues
• They work with the Commission for Patient and
  Public Involvement in Health and the Forum
  Support Organisation
• They work with their associated Trust or PCT
• They usually meet monthly with meetings open to
  the public
• Forums develop an annual workplan
• THEY ARE INDEPENDENT

7
PPI Forums in Bolton

• Bolton Primary Care Trust
• Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust
• Bolton, Salford and Trafford Mental Health NHS
  Trust
• North West Ambulance Service

8
Some Issues Forums have looked at

• Information available at GP surgeries
• Hospital Cleanliness
• Environmental conditions in Mental Health ward
  areas
• Bolton Improving Care System
• Unscheduled Care and Out of Hours services
• Hospital Nutrition
• Primary Care Premises

9
How have the forums carried out their work

• Involvement in groups and committees within local
  healthcare organisations
• Carried out surveys organised nationally and
  locally eg. Bugwatch and GP Patient
  Information Survey
• Responding to consultations
• Presenting Annual Healthcheck Statements to the
  Healthcare Commission
• Visiting healthcare settings
• Working with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

10
Work carried out 2007/8

• Information at GP surgeries, Pathology and
  Dentistry surveys
• Continuing to visit mental health settings across
  Bolton, Salford and Trafford
• Foundation Trust structures
• Worked with Bolton Metro on the creation of the
  Bolton LINk
• Creation of a Patient Diary

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Bolton, Salford and Trafford Mental Health NHS
Trust - VISITING

• Visits JandK wards, the Redwood Unit,
  Meadowbrook, Moorside, Edenfield, Wentworth and
  Kenyon House, Brook Heys - inpatient, medium
  secure, substance misuse, and older peoples
  mental health services
• Protocol for visits
• - preparing, visiting and producing a factual
  report presented to the trust
• Things have changed!!

12
Networking

• Working and networking with other Service User
  Groups such as Bolton Patients Council for Mental
  Health, User Advisory Consultative Team, Mental
  Health Independent Support Team and Bolton
  Association of Network Drop-ins, Take it to the
  Top
• Service users have contributed to the programme
  of forums visits and what its like to be an
  in-patient

13
Challenges faced by the Forums

• Facing abolition
• Moving into a Local Involvement Network
• Still having a voice in the midst of these
  changes
• Low membership numbers in some forums
• Working as volunteers in healthcare organisations
• Working with hard to reach groups
• Publicising and promoting the Forums
• Reflecting the patients experience which can be
  affected by their illness

14
The Future

• Commission For Patient And Public Involvement In
  Health will be abolished in March 2008
• PPI Forums will be abolished in March 2008
• Local Involvement Networks (LINks) will be set up
  for each local authority with a Social Services
  Department from 1 April 2008

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Any Questions ?